Volleyball England is the trading name for the English Volleyball Association Limited, which was formed in 1972,[1] and is the national governing body for volleyball in England. It picks the national team, runs the National Volleyball League, National Knock-Out Cup and Student Cup and organises the training and assessment of referees and coaches. Volleyball England is a member body of the FIVB and has its offices at SportPark, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire.
National Volleyball Centre
With £3.5million of funding from both the UK Government and the UK National Lottery in the run-up to London 2012, in 2007 Volleyball England signed an agreement to accommodate the National Volleyball Centre within the Kettering Conference Centre. Made possible with a grant from Kettering Borough Council, Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd, and the East Midlands Development Agency, the four-year agreement came into place on the opening of the centre in November 2010.[2]
The 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) facility houses both National Volleyball Centre, as well as home of Volleyball England's national men's and women's volleyball squads, and several national competitions.[2]
League history
In the past, men's volleyball in England has been dominated by London Malory, led by Canadian coach Jefferson Williams. In recent years, IBB Polonia London have been the most successful team winning 3 of the last 4 editions.
Women's volleyball in England has also been dominated by London Malory in the past, again led by Jefferson Williams. However, in 2008, the University of London Union (ULU) women's team defeated London Malory in the Cup quarter-finals and left them out of the Final for the first time in 13 years. The student side, which competes in the London Premier League and is led by coach Mark Kontopoulos, then defeated Wessex-Team Bath in the semi-finals and London Polonia in the Final to become the first ever non-national league team to win the National Cup. In recent years, women's volleyball has been dominated by northern sides with Team Northumbria winning the title five times in a row from 2012 to 2016, followed by Team Durham's two consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Tendring VC Ladies won their first National league championship to bring the trophy to Essex.
League organisation
The National Volleyball League (NVL) is split into men's and women's competitions, each with 4 levels. In season 2018-19, the top three levels are the same for men and women: National Super League, Division 1 and Division 2 (North & South). Men's Division 3 is divided into North, Central and South. Women's Division 3 is divided into North, Central, South-East and South-West.[3]
The following table shows how many teams are in each division for the 2018-19 season.[4]
| Division | Men's Teams | Women's Teams |
|---|---|---|
| National Super League | 9 | 9 |
| Division 1 | 9 | 10 |
| Division 2 (North) | 9 | 10 |
| Division 2 (South) | 9 | 10 |
| Division 3 (North) | 7 | 6 |
| Division 3 (Central) | 7 | 9 |
| Division 3 (South) | 9 | - |
| Division 3 (South-West) | - | 9 |
| Division 3 (South-East) | - | 8 |
2018–2019
Teams competing in each National Volleyball League division for the 2018-19 season:[4]
Men
National Super League
- Durham Palatinates
- IBB Polonia London
- Malory Eagles UEL
- Newcastle Staffs
- Richmond Docklands
- Sheffield Hallam
- Southampton I
- Team Essex Blaze
- TeamBU Wessex
Division 1
- Black Country I
- Cambridge VC and Anglia Ruskin University
- Cardiff Celts
- Leeds RGA
- London Aces
- Nasze UK Intervolley Manchester
- Sheffield II
- Team Sunderland
- Tendring
Division 2 North
- Darkstar Derbyshire
- Manchester Marvels I
- Melton Lions
- Norwich Spikers
- Nottingham Rockets I
- Stockport
- Tamworth Spartans
- The Miners Doncaster
- University of Nottingham
- York
Division 2 South
- Bristol VC
- Cheltenham and Gloucester Volleyball
- City of Bristol
- MK City
- New Forest
- Oxford Students
- Richmond
- Team Bristol
- Team Essex Estonians
Division 3 North
- Blyth Valley
- Haughton Darlington
- Hull Thunder
- Lincoln Cannons
- Manchester Marvels II
- Nottingham Rockets II
- Warrington Wolves
Division 3 Central
- Black Country II
- Coventry and Warwick Riga
- Loughborough Students
- Newcastle Staffs 2
- Newmarket
- Stowmarket
- Wombourne
Division 3 South
- Dartford
- Guildford
- London Baks
- South Hants
- Southampton II
- Surrey Spikers
- Urbond Volleyball Club Portsmouth
- Weymouth Beach Volleyball Club
- Wiltshire Mavericks
Women
National Super League
- Birmingham I
- Bristol VC I
- Durham Palatinates
- London Orcas
- Malory Eagles UEL
- Polonia SideOut London
- Sheffield Hallam
- TeamBU Wessex
- Tendring Ladies
Division 1
- Birmingham II
- Cambridge VC and Anglia Ruskin University
- City of Salford
- Darkstar Derbyshire
- Herts
- London Inter
- Oxford Students
- Petroc Beach Academy (North Devon)
- Team South Wales
- University of Nottingham
Division 2 North
- Black Country
- Coventry and Warwick Riga
- Hull Thunder
- Leeds RGA
- Lincoln Cannons
- Manchester Marvels I
- Newcastle Staffs (Ladies)
- Tameside
- Team Sunderland
- York Falcons
Division 2 South
- Ashcombe Dorking 1
- Bristol VC II
- Dartford
- New Forest Ladies
- Oxford Ladies
- Reading Aces
- Richmond
- Southampton I
- Sussex Dolphins I
- Team Essex Trinity
Division 3 North
- Chester Amazons
- Leeds RGA Panthers
- Manchester Marvels II
- Sheffield Honeybees
- Wirral Wasps
- York Vipers
Division 3 Central
- Ashfield Vipers
- Coventry and Warwick Riga II
- Leicester Athena
- Loughborough Students
- Northampton
- Norwich Spikers
- Nottingham Rockets
- Tamworth Spartans
- Telford Ladies
Division 3 South West
- Cardiff Celts Ladies
- Cardiff Falcons
- City of Bristol Ladies
- Plymouth
- Plymouth Mayflower VC
- Southampton II
- Team Bristol
- Wessex II
- Yeovil
Division 3 South East
- Ashcombe Dorking II
- Ipswich Ladies
- London Lionhearts
- Maidstone
- Portsmouth
- Richmond II
- South Hants
- Sussex Dolphins II
League champions
The table below shows the men's and women's national league champions from season 1977–78 through to 2017–18.[5][6]
| Season | Men's Champion | Women's Champion |
| 1977–78 | Sefton A | Kirkby |
| 1978–79 | Kestrels | Hillingdon |
| 1979–80 | Speedwell Furness | TSB Kirkby |
| 1981–82 | Speedwell Rucanor | Hillingdon |
| 1982–83 | Speedwell Rucanor | Hillingdon |
| 1983–84 | Capital City Spikers | Hillingdon |
| 1984–85 | Team Mizuno | Hillingdon |
| 1985–86 | Polonia | Spark |
| 1986–87 | Speedwell | Sale |
| 1987–88 | Malory CLC | Ashcombe |
| 1988–89 | Malory CLC | Britannia |
| 1989–90 | Team Mizuno Malory | Brixton Knights |
| 1990–91 | Team Mizuno Malory | Mizuno Britannia Woolwich |
| 1991–92 | Team Mizuno Malory | Woolwich Brixton |
| 1992–93 | Mizuno Lewisham | Woolwich Brixton |
| 1993–94 | Mizuno Malory Lewisham | Woolwich Brixton |
| 1994–95 | Mizuno Malory Lewisham | London Malory |
| 1995–96 | Mizuno Malory Lewisham | London QKX |
| 1996–97 | Malory Lewisham | Britannia Music City |
| 1997–98 | Tooting Aquila | London Malory |
| 1998–99 | Malory London | London Malory |
| 1999–00 | Malory London | Ashcombe Dorking1 |
| 2000–01 | Malory London | Ashcombe Dorking1 |
| 2001–02 | Malory London | London Malory |
| 2002–03 | London Malory | London Malory |
| 2003–04 | London Malory | London Malory |
| 2004–05 | London Malory | London Malory |
| 2005–06 | London Malory | University of Birmingham |
| 2006–07 | London Docklands | London Malory |
| 2007–08 | London Malory | Wessex |
| 2008–09 | Sheffield | Swiss Cottage |
| 2009–10 | Malory Eagles (London) | Tameside Polonia Ladies |
| 2010–11 | London Polonia | Polonia IMKA London |
| 2011–12 | Leeds Carnegie | Team Northumbria |
| 2012–13 | London Polonia | Team Northumbria |
| 2013–14 | Sheffield Hallam | Team Northumbria |
| 2014–15 | Team Northumbria | Team Northumbria |
| 2015–16 | IBB Polonia London | Team Northumbria |
| 2016–17 | IBB Polonia London | Team Durham |
| 2017–18 | Team Northumbria | Team Durham |
| 2018–19 | IBB Polonia London | Tendring VC Ladies |
References
- ^ Volleyball England About Us. Volleyball England https://www.volleyballengland.org/about_us/. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ a b "National Volleyball Centre". Volleyball England. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ "New name and format for top divisions". Volleyball England. 8 May 2018.
- ^ a b "National Volleyball League Tables". Volleyball England. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "NVL Winners and Runners–Up (Men)" (PDF). Volleyball England. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "NVL Winners and Runners–Up (Women)" (PDF). Volleyball England. Retrieved 10 January 2019.